For years, Perry has emphasized that “the Texas dream” must include all races, ethnicities

While Texas Gov. Rick Perry has come under fire for the racially offensive name of his family’s West Texas hunting camp–once known as “Niggerhead”– even his critics have defended him against claims of racism.

In light of the frenzy, we uncovered a video of Perry apparently speaking to black delegates at the 2004 GOP convention and lauding Texas as “big enough for people of every background and every way of life.”

Perry tells the crowd he fondly remembers the day he appointed the first African American to the Texas Supreme Court.

“When I think about the history and the men and the women who have struggled through the years for freedom, I think about the power of that day,” Perry said. “It was one of the greatest days, it was one of the most powerful days for me in a personal sense.”

“We must welcome the hopes and the dreams, the aspirations of every Texan. We must include Texans of every race, every ethnicity, every creed into the Texas dream.”